🎨 AI-generated botanical illustration
🌱 Black Pepper Vine
Piper nigrum
spices
perennial climbing vine
☀️ Sun
partial shade
💧 Water
high (loves humidity)
🗺️ Zones
[11,12]
🧪 Soil pH
5.5-7.0
🪴 Soil Type
rich, well-drained, high organic matter
📏 Spacing
6-8 ft (needs support)
📐 Height
climbing 10-30 ft
⏱️ Maturity
3-4 yrs to first harvest
🤝 Companions (3)
🤝 Banana
Living support/shade tree
🤝 Coconut Palm
Traditional support tree in Kerala
🤝 Ginger
Understory companion; shared humidity
⚠️ Keep Apart (1)
⚠️ none — but needs strong support structure
📝 Growing Notes
'King of spices' — most traded spice globally. All colors from same vine — different ripeness/processing. Native to India's Malabar Coast.
🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Botanical Interests
True Leaf Market
Burpee
Territorial Seed Company
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